How long it will take

You can apply for a visa up to 3 months before your date of travel to the UK. You should get a decision on your visa within 3 weeks.

Fees

A Parent of a Tier 4 child visa costs £324 (Rs.31,709.98).

How long you can stay

This visa usually lasts for either 6 or 12 months. After that, you can get extensions for 12 months at a time until your child reaches 12 years of age.

You’ll be given a shorter visa and won’t be able to extend that visa if your child is going to:

have their 12th birthday in the next 12 months

finish their final year at school in the next 12 months

You must leave the UK when your visa expires in either case, and can’t switch to a different visa category. If your child is staying in education in the UK without you, you must make arrangements for their ongoing care.

What you can and can’t do

You can:

extend your visa for 12 months at a time, as long as you continue to meet the eligibility requirements

You can’t:

switch into a different immigration category from a ‘Parent of a Tier 4 child visa’ when it expires

get public funds

make your main home in the UK

take paid work

study

bring other family members (‘dependants’) with you on your application - they must apply separately

2. Eligibility

To be eligible for a Parent of a Tier 4 child visa you must:

have enough money to support yourself and any dependants while in the UK

maintain a second home outside the UK

plan to leave the UK at the end of your visit

be able to meet the cost of the return or onward journey

Your child must:

be under 12

be studying at or about to start studying at an independent fee-paying day school in the UK.

3. Documents you must provide

When you apply you’ll need to provide:

a current passport or other valid travel identification

one passport-sized colour photograph

your tuberculosis (TB) test results if you’re from a country where you have to take the test

You’ll need to have a blank page in your passport on which to put the visa.

You’ll also have to show documents that prove you:

have a permanent home outside the UK

have money to support you and your children or have relatives or friends that will support you in the UK

have booked (or can afford) travel to leave the UK at the end of your stay

4. Apply

Apply outside the UK

You’ll need to have your fingerprints and photograph (known as ‘biometric information’) taken at a visa application centre as part of your application.

You may be able to get your visa faster or other services depending on what country you’re in - check with your visa application centre.

North Korea

You can’t apply online if you’re living in North Korea.

To apply from North Korea you must:

5. Extend your visa

You can apply to extend your stay for as long as you and your child continue to meet the eligibility requirements.

You must apply while you’re still in the UK and at least 4 weeks before your original visa expires.

How long you can stay

You can apply to extend your stay for 12 months at a time.

Fees

You’ll pay:

£649 (Rs.63,412.82) if you apply to extend your visa by post

£1,049 (Rs.1,02,496.21) if you apply in person

How long it takes

A decision will be made:

within 8 weeks for online applications

usually on the same day if you use the premium service

You’ll be contacted if your application is complex and will take longer,

if your supporting documents need to be verified

if you need to attend an interview

because of your personal circumstances, eg you have a criminal conviction

Once you’ve applied you can stay in the UK until you’ve been given a decision, as long as you applied before your last visa expired.

UK Study Visa

Short-term study visa

The UK is a world leader in many areas of education including engineering, science, art and design, business and management, law and finance. The UK’s reputation and legacy as a world centre for scientific research makes it a magnet for some of the very best thinkers in the world.

you’ve been offered a job within a faith community (eg as a minister of religion, missionary, or member of a religious order) in the UK
you’re from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland